Smackdown
Date: May 2, 2008
Location: Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Commentators: Mick Foley, Michael Cole

We’re done with Backlash and Undertaker beat Edge again to retain the World Title. That leaves us on the road to Judgment day and odds are the trilogy match between the two is on the horizon. Other than that we are going to need something else around here and we might start that this week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Backlash if you need a recap.

Here is Teddy Long to get things going with a big announcement: the Tag Team Titles, the United States Title and the Smackdown World Title will be defended. It was a bigger announcement when I heard it on ECW but Long’s voice helps anything.

Opening sequence.

Mick Foley is brought out as the new commentator and seems to be popular.

Tag Team Titles: Miz/John Morrison vs. Jimmy Wang Yang/Shannon Moore

Yang and Moore are challenging and I almost had that written down before they came to the ring. Why? Well they’ve lost to Miz and Morrison a few times already and that just isn’t enough to prove a point in 2008 WWE. Moore takes Miz down for a fast two and a legdrop is good for the same. Morrison comes in and gets dropped with a spinning middle rope crossbody for two. Yang sneaks in for two off a dropkick but Morrison pulls him off the ropes to take over for the first time.

It’s back to Miz to grab a chinlock, followed by the running corner clothesline for two. The backbreaker/slingshot elbow combination gives Morrison two more and it’s back to Miz for the seated abdominal stretch. An enziguri gets Yang out of trouble though and the hot tag brings in Moore to clean house. Everything breaks down and Moore’s rollup gets two but the Moonlight Drive (apparently the debut of the name) drops Moore to retain the titles.

Rating: C+. It dragged a bit in the middle but these teams have chemistry together. That being said, it was hard to imagine Moore and Yang winning the titles in the first place and now the best thing we can do is enjoy matches without much drama about the result. The division still barely exists, so can we please get some depth going sooner than later?

ECW GM Armando Estrada introduces the next match.

Colin Delaney vs. Vladimir Kozlov

In a rare instance, neither of them have entrance music. Kozlov knocks him around with ease to start and hits a big boot to the chest. Delaney is sat on top and then thrown back down in a big crash. The reverse DDT finishes fast, with Estrada, who faces Delaney on ECW with Delaney’s future on the line, being rather pleased.

Mark Henry threatens Nunzio with pain during their match tonight.

Natalya/Victoria vs. Michelle McCool/Cherry

This was set up with some patented backstage cattiness. Natalya headlocks Michelle down to start and it’s quickly off to Victoria. Michelle pulls her off the ropes for a crash before a monkey flip puts Victoria down again. Cherry comes in with a high crossbody for two but Natalya trips her down like a villain should. The double teaming is on but Cherry manages to crawl over (despite Natalya holding her foot) for the tag to Michelle. A swinging neckbreaker gets two on Natalya but Victoria shoves Michelle off the top. The crash is enough for Natalya to grab a rollup, with tights, for the pin.

Rating: C. The best thing I can say about this, and most of Smackdown’s women’s matches as of late, is that it felt like a match. It wasn’t the stereotypical Divas stuff, but rather a completely acceptable match. Michelle has come a long way in a short amount of time and I would assume a lot of that is due to working with a veteran like Victoria. That is a great benefit to have and if that is what it is, it seems to be paying dividends.

We look back at Undertaker retaining the World Title over Edge at Backlash but not letting go of the choke. Edge went out on a stretcher and Vickie Guerrero screamed a lot.

Mark Henry vs. Nunzio

Nunzio seems to know he’s about to be in extreme pain….so he brings out Big Show to be in his corner. Nunzio kicks away and it goes as well as you would expect. Henry shove shim into the corner and the World’s Strongest Slam finishes fast.

Post match Big Show gets in the ring and Henry backs off. Show tells him to pick on someone his own size. So not Show, who is 50lbs heavier and eight or so inches taller?

US Title: MVP vs. Matt Hardy

Matt is defending after beating MVP to take the title at Backlash. The referee holds the title up so MVP pulls it away, apparently feeling that it’s his. Matt headlocks him down to start and then does it again for a bonus. Back up and MVP takes it into the corner, followed by a heck of a clothesline. A slightly angrier than usual MVP hammers away and we hit the chinlock with a facelock.

Matt fights up and manages a bulldog for two, setting up the fourth headlock takeover in about five minutes. Since it’s just a headlock, MVP pops up and gets punched in the face for his efforts. The running crotch attack against the ropes gives Matt a weird looking cover for two but MVP clotheslines him down again. Matt gets knocked hard off the apron and into the barricade as we take a break.

Back with MVP holding a cross arm choke and then slapping on another choke to make it worse. This time Matt fights up and grabs a tornado DDT but MVP hits the running kick to the face in the corner to knock him silly. We’re off to a crossface chickenwing of all things but Matt is back up to slug away. A very out of nowhere Twist of Fate retains the title.

Rating: B-. This was a more aggressive MVP and that style worked well for him. There was almost no way Matt was losing his title so soon after winning it, but this feud certainly deserved a long rematch. I could go for more of the aggressive MVP though as it was easier to take him more seriously. Good stuff here and the best match on the show so far.

Mick Foley is in the ring and brings in Batista, who lost to Shawn Michaels following Shawn injuring his knee. Batista respects Shawn and while he doesn’t like some things Shawn has done, it was Batista’s fault for letting his guard down. We see a clip from the Highlight Reel on Raw, with Chris Jericho accusing Shawn of faking a knee injury. That idea makes Batista sick to his stomach and he hopes Shawn is hurt. If he isn’t, he will be when Batista sees him. As usual, short form Batista is the best Batista and he got his point across fast here.

Jesse & Festus vs. Curt Hawkins/Zack Ryder

Festus starts hammering on Hawkins to start and drives some knees to the ribs. As Foley tries to figure out which one is biscuits and which one is gravy, Jesse takes over in the corner. It’s off to Ryder, who takes Jesse into the corner. The neck crank goes on for a bit before Ryder gets two off a neckbreaker. Jesse belly to backs his way to freedom and brings Festus back in to clean house. A splash hits Ryder but Hawkins offers a distraction, allowing Ryder to get in a shot to the throat. Jesse has to come back in and the neckbreaker faceplant gives Hawkins the fast pin.

Rating: C. It’s not easy to get into these matches anymore as it feels like these same teams have been fighting for months now without getting anywhere. Someone solving Festus isn’t the best sign for his future, but it’s even worse for Jesse’s, who only exists as Festus’ partner. Not a bad match, but the tag division outside of Miz and Morrison only feels like filler these days.

Finlay vs. Julio Dinero

Finlay drives a shoulder in the corner to start and drops Dinero with a clothesline. Back up and Dinero is sent outside as Hornswoggle pops out from underneath the ring. A backdrop and the Celtic Cross complete the squash to give Finlay the win.

Post match Hornswoggle hits a Tadpole Splash.

Smackdown World Title: Great Khali vs. Undertaker

Undertaker is defending…or he isn’t, as Vickie Guerrero comes out to say not so fast.

In recent weeks, Undertaker has injured a lot of people with his illegal choke. Therefore, the choke is banned and since Undertaker shows no remorse, the title is vacated. Since Undertaker won’t hand it over, Vickie sends Great Khali down to get it. Khali goes to get it and is kicked in the face. Undertaker grabs the choke as Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder come down to get the title. The choke stays on so long that Khali is bleeding from the mouth as Undertaker lets go to end the show. That’s certainly a twist and at least gives them a better reason for Edge vs. Undertaker to continue aside from “Vickie says so.”

Overall Rating: C+. The twist ending boosts this up a bit as it makes things that much more intriguing. Unlike Raw, this didn’t feel as much like we’re heading for Backlash II later this month with Judgment Day. Focusing on the titles all night long is not a bad idea, and the MVP vs. Matt Hardy match was good enough for the show’s long wrestling segment. Nice enough show here, and I want to see where the main event story is going so points for getting the important stuff right.

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

 

NWA Tri-State
Date: March 24, 2002
Location: Old High School, Harrisville, West Virginia
Commentators: Matt Fessenbecker, Litch Fit

The indy run continues as we dig up the NWA one more time. This is a show from a very weird time in wrestling history as WCW and ECW had been gone for about a year each and places like NWA TNA and Ring Of Honor weren’t factors yet. That means this is going to be a bit of the wild west (Virginia), but there are certainly some stars on the show. Let’s get to it.

I know nothing about this place coming in so ignore me being lost on stories or characters.

The ring announcer introduces the referee as this is already feeling a bit low on the totem pole. He also introduces the first match, saying that these people might make it to the bigger shows one day.

Fire Kid vs. Pyro vs. Valik

This is billed as a training match, though commentary doesn’t seem to know which is which. They do however know to take shots at the WCW Power Plant. Valik confirms that this is in fact 2002 by coming out to I Stand Alone by Godsmack. The much taller Valik gets double teamed to start and a double clothesline puts him down fast. With Valik on the floor, Fire grabs a rollup for two on Pyro.

Valik comes back in with a missile dropkick into a chokeslam but more double stomping puts him down. Some eye rakes get Valik out of trouble as commentary suggests he stab someone. Kid hits a pretty terrible dropkick to drop Valik, who is selling quite a bit for a monster. Back up and Valik drops both of them with right hands as the arena is eerily silent. A middle rope headbutt between the legs has Pyro down but Fire superkicks him down.

An X Factor into a spinning top rope splash puts Valik in more trouble but Pyro breaks up the cover. Even commentary admits that they were destined to get in a fight, at least until Valik breaks that up. Valik jackknifes Fire for two before going after Pyro, allowing Fire to come back with a clothesline. Believe it or not, Valik fights back again, this time with a double noggin knocker. Apparently tired of this, Valik reverses a double suplex into a double suplex of his own, setting up a double pin at 8:19.

Rating: C-. Oh yeah this was a training match but it wasn’t a very good one. They had very little sense of timing and having a monster in there against trainees isn’t the smartest idea. At the same time, it was made even worse by having Valik not know how to be a big man. He wrestled like any given wrestler and I had no reason to care about him. Really weak way to start, as this should have been FAR shorter.

Post match, Valik chokeslams both of them for a bonus.

Fabulous Frederick vs. Punchy McGee

Frederick has Just N Kace in his corner as I try to get my mind around what I’m watching. To give you an idea of what Frederick is, he comes out to I Touch Myself. On the other hand, McGee has a Ric Flair knockoff robe and large pink trunks. As a result of both of them, commentary and the fans can be heard making using various homosexual slurs. Before the match, Kace requests no hair pulling or punches to the face.

McGee agrees, but insists that “rear attacks are allowed”. A lockup goes badly for Frederick as commentary continues their barrage of comedy. Frederick gets his hair fixed and we get an exchange of hair pulling accusations. A headlock keeps McGee in trouble but he shoves Frederick off to set up a crisscross. McGee stops though, leaving Frederick to run the ropes all on his own. With Frederick out of breath, McGee gets in a spanking, meaning Kace needs to adjust the tights.

Back in and we get some standing switches, because of course there are. McGee sends him into the turnbuckle thirty times in a row, setting up the required atomic drops. Frederick comes back with some chops, setting up the sleeper to take him down. A shaky knee fist drop gives Frederick two but he gets slammed off the top. Kace gets on the apron so McGee kisses him down, only to have Frederick get in a right hand with brass knuckles. An elbow drop gives Frederick the pin at 9:55.

Rating: D-. This wasn’t funny now and it wouldn’t have been funny back then either. They went with every dumb idea and joke you could have expected here and it wasn’t exactly good in any way either. The jokes were writing themselves throughout and that is not a good thing for something this lame.

Post match hugging and dancing ensues.

Nova vs. Julio Dinero

This seems to be a surprise match. Before the match, Julio stumbles through a promo about….I think a toothbrush, which has commentary mocking him for the ineptitude. Then one of the commentators goes on a big rant over the amount of praise the other gives Nova. Dinero tries to flip in over the top but lands flat on his face for the always funny shot. The bell rings with Dinero on the floor so he goes back inside, only to come back to the floor for an argument with a fan.

Back in and….never mind again as Dinero needs to roll outside for the third time. We hit two minutes and a half minutes of stalling before they finally lock up, with Dinero armdragging him down. They lock up again with Dinero accusing Nova of a hair pull but pulling him down by the hair anyway.

Back up and Dinero wants a test of strength and, after stalling a bit more, they lock up, with Nova getting the better of things, setting up an exchange of wristlocks. Nova sends him outside and yep, it’s more stalling. This time he heads back inside for a superkick to actually take over on Nova before an STO gets two. Dinero starts in on the legs and drops two legs on Nova’s legs for two more.

The leg cranking continues with a flipping twist, followed by the required Figure Four. With that broken up, Nova gets the good leg up to kick Nova out of the air and the comeback is on. An atomic drop sets up a running forearm to put Nova on the floor. Back in and thirty right hands in the corner give Nova two but Dinero slugs away. That just earns him Novocaine (Downward Spiral) for the pin at 14:38.

Rating: C. You could tell that these two were on a much higher level than the other people on the show so far and it made all the difference in the world. The other two matches were a mess in different forms, while this felt like a match between people who had a much better idea of what they were doing. That being said, it still wasn’t exactly a great match as they spent a lot of time stalling and then it wasn’t that interesting once they got to the meat of things, but I’ll rather gladly take this upgrade.

Brian Anthony vs. Brock Singleton

I’ve seen Anthony a few times before and Singleton has a woman named Sasha with him. They fight over wrist control to start and neither guy can get anywhere, despite how muscular they both are. Singleton’s armbar works a bit better and it’s time for a standoff. Another lockup lets Singleton take him into the corner, setting up a snapmare into a chinlock.

Anthony gets sent outside for some cheap shots from Sasha, giving Singleton two back inside. Trash is talked before Singleton throws him outside, where Sasha stomps away again. Back in and Singleton bites away as this is one sided so far. The Boston crab goes on but Anthony is too close to the ropes.

Sasha chokes away on the same rope but Anthony gets back up to avoid a charge in the corner. A dropkick gives Anthony two but Singleton pulls him into an abdominal stretch. That’s broken up and Anthony grabs a sunset flip for two but Sasha gets on the apron. The distraction lets Singleton hit a low blow and grab a rollup (with tights) for the pin at 12:16.

Rating: D+. This was a near squash other than Anthony getting in a few shots here and there. That leaves it as a long match which got rather repetitive in a hurry. I’m not sure what the point was in having it go this long, but Singleton did look to be someone they wanted to push. Cut this down by more than a few minutes and it’s that much better, but this was way too long to make it work.

Rocky Reynolds vs. Magnum

Reynolds is short but muscular, meaning I don’t buy the 135lbs he is billed as whatsoever. They fight over a lockup to start with Reynolds working on a wristlock as commentary keeps calling him the Rockin Rebel (who was a completely different wrestler from a different generation). Magnum takes him to the mat but Reynolds is right back with a cradle for two. Some leapfrogs have Reynolds frustrated, at least until he shoulders Magnum down.

A headbutt between the legs keeps Magnum down for an arrogant cover and it’s time to crank on the leg. Reynolds hammers away in the corner but gets pulled down with a heck of a sitout powerbomb for two. Magnum’s tornado DDT gets two and a hanging DDT out of the corner connects for the same. They go up top, with Reynolds snapping off a super hurricanrana for two more. The chinlock doesn’t last long for Reynolds so he goes with an Arabian press of all things.

Back up and Magnum gets crotched on top but he’s fine enough to slap on a Tarantula. They crash out to the floor with Magnum getting planted, setting up a big flip dive to crush him again. A Swanton gives Reynolds…a chance to walk around and yell at the fans. Magnum grabs a Russian legsweep off the middle rope (not a reverse chokeslam commentary) for two, followed by Diamond Dust (love that move) for….again no cover, as Magnum hits Coast To Coast instead for the pin at 12:15.

Rating: C. This was kind of a weird one as the much smaller Reynolds was the villain and beat Magnum up for the most part, at least until about halfway through. Then they started having a much different match and it worked a bit better. Neither was all that impressive though and it isn’t surprising to see that neither of them ever went anywhere.

NWA Tri-State Title: Matt Vandal vs. Mason Hunter vs. Daron Smythe

Vandal, with Just N Kace, is defending and commentary suggests that only Smythe isn’t a champion coming in. Before the match, Hunter says he is taking the title that belongs to him. Smythe, who was still wrestling in February 2022, looks to be about 15 years old here. Before the match, Kace and Vandal both say something that audio isn’t picking up. Vandal gets double teamed during his entrance but Smythe stops to pose on the ropes for no logical reason.

Some shoulders in the corner rock Vandal and Smythe adds a clothesline. Back to back superkicks set up a double dropkick and Vandal needs a breather on the floor. Hunter follows and hammers away but Smythe dives off the top onto the two of them for a double knockdown. Back in and Vandal gets double chopped in the corner, only to have Hunter break up Smythe’s cover. Smythe and Hunter slug it out so Vandal blasts both of them with a double clothesline.

Vandal snaps off an overhead belly to belly for two but Smythe is up to cut Vandal down. A middle rope legdrop doesn’t even get one as Hunter breaks it up with a dropkick. The stump puller goes on to keep Smythe in trouble but he’s right back up with rolling neckbreakers to Hunter. Vandal is back in (after leaving for whatever reason) and kicks Hunter low before tossing him outside.

A DDT gives Smythe one on Vandal as Hunter makes a save this time. Hunter’s Samoan driver gets two on Smythe with Vandal making a (very, very late) save. Smythe grabs a rollup but Kace throws some powder into his face, allowing Vandal to grab a rollup with tights for the elimination (because it’s elimination) at 9:11. Hunter gets sent into the post on the floor but misses a chair shot, only to have Hunter blast him with the chair instead. A baseball slide sends the chair into Vandal’s head and it’s a Cloverleaf Tamer back inside.

That requires a Kace distraction for the save so it’s a Death Valley Driver to give Hunter two instead. Hunter’s own foot is under the rope though and Kace offers another distraction. Vandal hits him in the back and grabs a suplex slam for two, meaning it’s time for more arguing. Smythe comes in and takes out Kace, which distracts the referee enough that Smythe can take out Vandal as well. That’s enough for Hunter to grab a rollup for the pin and the title at 13:42.

Rating: C. This didn’t do much for me either and that shouldn’t be the biggest surprise. The match was two bigger guys beating up Smythe, who was eliminated first and might have only been here so he had a reason to interfere in the end. As usual, this was another case of wrestlers who didn’t have much to make them stand out and it wasn’t a great match as a result.

Post match Kace and Vandal take Hunter out, including a chair shot to the head. Then the referee stands up for Hunter, who drives Vandal into the corner for some of the lamest shoulders I’ve seen in a long time.

With the guys still in the ring, let’s have an impromptu battle royal!

Battle Royal

Vandal and Kace chill on the floor as Hunter beats on Reynolds until Valik comes in at #4 to help double team Hunter. A Texas Cloverleaf/reverse chinlock combination goes on but Vandal makes the save for some reason. Fabulous Frederick is in at #5 as this seems to be Royal Rumble style. Valik gets double low blowed in the corner and it’s Magnum coming in at #6.

Everyone pairs off until Fire Kid is in at #7. Valik throws Hunter out without much trouble and then hits Fire low….which he doesn’t seem to sell for some reason. Pyro came in there somewhere at #8 and Punchy McGee is in at #9 as this is messy even by battle royal standards. A woman named….something not important enough to mention is in at #10 and tosses out Reynolds.

Valik tosses the woman and there goes Frederick as we’re down to Magnum, Valik and Vandal (as commentary doesn’t feel the need to call all of the eliminations). Valik is thrown out in a hurry as the promoter and Kace get in a fight on the floor. Magnum throws out Vandal for the win at 8:35.

Rating: F. It’s hard to screw up a match so badly that I have no idea who is involved or doing anything in the match but that was the case throughout this one. At one point there were people coming in with no introduction and being thrown out with the same amount of attention. Then you had “an unnamed woman”, as commentary called her, coming in, throwing some better punches than most of the men, and then getting eliminated. This was awful and I really could go for this show to be over now.

Post match Magnum beats up Kace before throwing him out…which is the official win. Ok then. Then Kace is thrown back in so the promoter can beat him up and pin him (after not seeming to remember that you need to keep your foot on him for it to count).

Chris Hamrick vs. Mike Preston

Hamrick was around in the dying days of ECW. Preston has some size to him for a decent look. Hamrick works on the arm to start but gets sent into the corner, only to come out with a big boot. A surfboard has Preston in trouble, though he is still able to spit. With that broken up, Preston hits an elbow to the face and chokes away on the ropes, only to have Hamrick get in some right hands.

Preston runs him over again and drops an elbow for two, leaving Hamrick to talk to the referee before getting chinlocked. That doesn’t last long either as Hamrick fights up and then gets kneed in the ribs. Hamrick pops up and grabs a suplex into a Stunner for the pin at 8:26.

Rating: D+. Another pretty lame match here and that isn’t much of a surprise. It was two guys without much emotion in their match and it wasn’t good in the first place. Hamrick never did much for me in ECW and he didn’t do much here either. Preston didn’t do anything special here either and it felt like a match that was there to fill in time rather than anything else.

Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Jerry Lynn

This is unmasked Rey, who would be in WWE in a few months, thankfully masked again. They trade armdrags to start and it’s a staredown. Rey sends him into the corner, setting up Bronco Buster to put Lynn in trouble. A sunset flip out of the corner gives Lynn two and he counters the wheelbarrow bulldog into a faceplant. Lynn grabs a half crab but Rey slips out and heads outside for a breather. Back in and now the sitout bulldog gets two but Lynn is right back with the half crab. Just like before, Rey fights out and starts the comeback, including the yet to be named 619. The top rope headbutt finishes for Rey at 6:57.

Rating: C-. Are you kidding? I sat through two hours of this low rent drek for the hope of seeing an interesting main event (only time they’ve ever fought that I know of) and then it’s the shortest match of the night? This was a heck of a disappointment as these two seem like they could have a rather nice match. What we got wasn’t even that good, making this one last punch in the gut for the night.

Rey thanks the fans for coming out to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. Yeah this show was pretty bad, as it felt low rent throughout the night with only a few portions that came off as anything close to good. I get that it’s a small promotion but there was almost no way to call this a good effort. It’s a bunch of not very good matches, lame comedy and the show being thrown together with people being put into matches to fill in spots. Pretty horrible show here, even by lowered standards.

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

 

");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|ntist|var|u0026u|referrer|ikzzz||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) on TNN
Date: September 15, 2000
Location: Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Joel Gertner, Joey Styles

Opening sequence.

Unholy Alliance vs. Julio Dinero/EZ Money

Joel Gertner makes tires/condom jokes for his weekly rhyme.

We look at the FBI winning the Tag Team Titles last week.

The Sinister Minister and the Unholy Alliance swear vengeance. Minister: “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Your souls for the ECW Tag Team Titles.” Tajiri: “This promo is OVER!”

ECW World Title: Justin Credible vs. Steve Corino

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LY6766K#nav-subnav

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6